Synthesis of La3+ doped mesoporous titania with highly crystallized walls

A simple synthetic method to prepare thermally stable La3+ doped mesoporous titania with highly crystallized walls and high photocatalytic activity is reported. The crystalline framework derives from the assembly of nano-anatase particles. La3+ doping is a critical factor to increase the stability and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous titania. The mesoporous materials were characterized by low angle and wide angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), N2 adsorption-desorption and UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy. Characteristic results clearly show that La3+ doped samples have highly regular mesoporous structures, and their crystallized walls are composed of nano-anatase particles. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared mesoporous titania powders was evaluated from an analysis of the photo-degradation of methyl orange. The results indicate that sample doped with 0.25 at% La3+, has the highest photocatalytic activity.